


control (taking it back, anyhow)

by blueism, dysprosium (blueism)



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Clay | Dream & Technoblade Friendship (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Happy Ending, Insanity, It was going to be angst but, Other, POV Changes, POV Third Person, Screw that, Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), better, cause i adore their dynamic, ive always wanted a fic like this, maybe not tommy centric, no beta we die like men, nvm, rivalstwt shines through in later chapters, so i wrote it for myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29341266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueism/pseuds/blueism, https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueism/pseuds/dysprosium
Summary: Not completed, going under a rewrite (eventually)
Relationships: Floris | Fundy & Toby Smith | Tubbo, GeorgeNotFound & Sam | Awesamdude, GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s), Sam | Awesamdude & Sapnap, Sam | Awesamdude & TommyInnit, Sapnap & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 34
Kudos: 197





	1. Initiation [Act I; Scene I]

**Author's Note:**

> smh not me writing a shit ton cause im bored

“Why aren’t you sad? Why do you keep having that- that _fucking_ serene smile on your face? I ruined your life! What are you goddamn smiling about?” Nightmare stressed as he seethed at Dream’s complete detachment from the situation. Dream only blinked once and opened his mouth, internally laughing his ass off at the words that were about to spill out.

\----

“Ugh, fucking hell, do we have to visit that green bastardo?” Tommy groaned, already dreading the answer. 

“Yes, Tommy, we do,” Sam said, exasperation dripping from every syllable like honey, well, without the sweetness. Tommy just sighed and rolled his eyes.

“I don’t get why he apparently is the only one who can read that stupid book!” Tommy yelled. Sam just shook his head and sighed in agreement.

“Earlier today I put security cameras in his cell. Let’s go check them with Sap and George before we visit,” Sam mused as Tommy tilted his head, thinking about what Sam had said for a split second before nodding quickly. 

“Well then,” Tommy began, “Let’s go see how bitch boy is faring then!”

\----

Dream watched as Nightmare strode around the room ranting about how Dream was ‘not fun anymore’ and ‘so fucking stupid’. As Nightmare finally, finally slowed to a halt, Dream decided, _fuck it. I’ve got nothing anymore; Nightmare made sure of that. Why not have some fun?_ So, Dream, in a fit of- what, stupidity? Bravery? There’s a fine line between the two- decided to have some fun. You know, just to spice up his monotonous life a tad bit. “You know, Nightmare, why would I be sad, or depressed, or just bemoan the fact that I’m in here? What’s done is done.”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because I’ve screwed up your relationships? Maybe because I’ve landed you in here?” the dreamon tried. He was expecting maybe silence, maybe a careful contemplation of words. What he decidedly did not expect, however, was the iconic laughter that burst out of the admin. He grew irritated, snarling, “Why the fuck are you laughing?” Dream just smiled before hopping off of the edge of the bed that he’d been sitting on and striding closer.

“You tell me, Nightmare. I’ve gone mental like you’ve always fucking wanted. Do you think I’d still be fine? That’s pure hypocrisy right there. And, and you know what, Nightmare?” Dream cooed sweetly, a psychopathic light flaring up and flickering in his evergreen eyes, “I don’t care what you do anymore. Egg me on, you won’t get a pathetic reaction like you would’ve previously. Why? Because, you used to toy around with the prospect of everything, my friends, things of sentimental value, stuff like that. But now? There’s the sliiiiight problem in the fact that you’ve destroyed those things. You’ve got nothing on me anymore Nightmare. I’m done playing your fucking game, so go and cry yourself a goddamn river with those fucking non-existent eyes you lack behind your glamour.” Dream laughed as he finished the sentence, smiling at how Nightmare’s hackles rose, how he let out a low, sinister growl. 

“Go on, Nightmare, fucking kill me, you coward. I _want_ to die. I don’t care about your idea of torture. Physical pain means nothing to me anymore. Emotional pain can’t be achieved anymore. End me, Nightmare. You were always planning on it anyway, were you not?” His theory was only confirmed by how Nightmare started growling, the terrifying sound doing nothing to stop Dream from running his mouth further. He was already halfway there, and if there was one thing Dream hadn’t lost, it was his willpower to see things through. He never did anything half-assed, why was he about to start now? 

“What a damn coward. Hiding behind _my_ persona. I had always wondered, why me? Now though, Nightmare? Now I know. You were always so fucking jealous, pathetic wench. Lusting after the things I had. People that used to love me for who I was. Loving parents. You’ve shown more than once through your slaughtering of fathers that you’ve got daddy issues. Boo-fucking-hoo. Get over it, bitch,” Dream was circling the dreamon now, spurred on by the fact that he had nothing left to lose, and that he had always been an adrenaline junkie, “So, the only logical thing to do after ruining my relationships was try to rub salt in the would, right? Newsflash: that didn’t work. I don’t have the reaction you want, do I? Oh, yes, Nightmare. You wanna fucking kill me where I stand, don’t you? Yet you’re too much of a coward. You can’t even lay a fucking fnger on me anymore. Go on. Try.” Nightmare glared at Dream from where he was situated and then reached out to try, hand landing on burning skin. He recoiled with a wince, glaring daggers at the boy in lime. 

“How?” Nightmare asked, staring at his smoking hand, and gazing up at Dream, whose face was contorted into an expression that conveyed insanity and utter enjoyment. It sent a chill down Nightmare’s- an experienced dreamon’s- spine. He’d never had a target react like this. 

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to know, Nightmare. No. I’m not spilling. Call me stubborn, stupid, and weak, but this is a dose of payback, no? I could kill you where you stand now. Oh, how the tables have fucking turned on you. And, would you look at that, I’ve gone on another long-winded monologue. George used to hate those,” Dream still continued circling the dreamon, watching and relishing in the way the dreamon _cowered_. “Yes, that’s a good Nightmare. Cowering like the fucking bitch you are, no?” Dream watched, smiling just as cruelly as he was rumored to be as Nightmare bit his lip and nodded. “Alright, I’m done, Nightmare. You’re not leaving, and I’m not going to kill you, as much as my hands ache to. I want vengeance. I may be petty, but I don’t give a fuck anymore. That concludes my monologue for today, thank you very much,” Dream beamed as he flung himself back onto the bed- no- his bed- with newly found vigor, not noticing- or caring for that matter- that the camera tucked away in the corner of the ceiling of the cell was flashing red.


	2. Act I; Scene II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in a day? less likely than you think (excluding today)

“What the actual fuck,” Tommy exhaled as he watched Dream finish taunting the thing- no- dreamon in the center of the cell. The dreamon was visibly shaken. Tommy couldn’t blame it. He sat there, just processing the information, not noticing the buzz of words that filled his ears- Sapnap and George venting to each other, asking themselves what the fuck had just gone on, and Sam muttering to himself with perplexed glances at the dreamon inside the cold, dingy cell. He’d forgotten his purpose, trying to rid the land of the corruption caused by the Egg, too occupied by everything that had just gone on. He’d learned that one, the real Dream could and would be horrifying when needed, two, Dream didn’t actually torment him in exile, three, Dream had some new-found voodoo magic that allowed him to quite literally get rid of his living nightmare, and four, Dream’s gone absolutely deranged. _~~Because of you.~~_

“Sooooo, Sam Nook, can we head in?” Tommy asked nervously. Sam just stared at the dreamon for a second and looked at Tommy before answering.

“I mean, I think we should call the experts before visiting, we’ve got no idea what that thing can do to us,” Sam reasoned, eyeing the mass of inky black. Tommy groaned but nodded. 

“Ugh lemme just message Tubs,” Tommy mumbled, quieting down as the actual severity of the situation hit him like a bullet train. Dream didn’t do it. He didn’t and well- he’d been blamed for it. Tommy paused, eyes blown wide as he just sat there, his mindless amusement crumbling down and crashing around him, leaving nothing but a gaping hole where Dream’s affection once filled. He pursed his lips as he calmed himself down and continued messaging Tubbo. 

[TommyInnit]: hey tubs brimng the fox dreams gt a dremon in there

[Tubbo_]: first of all w h a t and second of all ill go get fundy so cya soon

[TommyInnit]: tyty

Tommy turned away from his communicator, mind whirling and thoughts blurring together as he tried to figure out how and when the dreamon had first encroached upon the Dream SMP. He wracked his brain, muttering offhanded sentences that trailed off into new, separate thoughts, ignoring the inquisitive looks that the other three in the room occasionally cast his way. He didn’t care. This was a puzzle, and Tommy never missed a chance to solve them. He just had to slide the right pieces together and a picture would form, he was sure of it-

“Hey Tommy!” his friend’s voice shook him out of his thoughts, although there was worry present, hidden under layers and layers of faux cheerfulness and sweet nothings, “Lemme see the dreamon- oh. _Oh._ Fundy, check this out?” The ginger nodded and leaned in to get a closer look at the dreamon. His eyes widened in recognition, and Tommy noted that he seemed very put-off. The ginger was a bit shook.

“Tubs, that’s a level 5 dreamon- but we did an exorcism? I’m so confused,” Fundy’s thoughts wandered, voicing them unconsciously while the others listened with rapt fascination. The ginger pulled himself back into reality and shook his head as if to clear smoke that wasn’t there. Fundy inhaled deeply and then spoke, “Well, there’s not much we can actually do-” Tubbo let out a small cry of despair that was quickly stifled by Tommy’s hand on his friend’s mouth as the blonde listened to Fundy, “-except for having Dream try to overcome the dreamon on his own. That’s honestly pretty rare though; dreamons are known to be ruthlessly efficient in literally making people go insane.”

“Fundy, will we be able to get Dream out of there? He’s innocent and guilt is something I’d rather not have weigh on me any more than it already has,” George spoke from his place next to Sapnap, gaze not focused on the ginger but rather at the cell that held his old friend- well, the view that could be attained from watching him through a security camera. 

“Oh- about that,” Fundy’s expression was a mix between grim melancholy and the curious disposition of a scientist, “In my experience with dreamons, they should be contained, and by extension, the ‘host’ of sorts must be as well.” A combination of disappointment and guilt painted George’s face, and unfiltered remorse dusted Sapnap’s. 

“I mean, Dream’s okay at dealing with that uhm- black bitch,” Tommy told Fundy. The fox boy's ear twitched in a signal to continue speaking. Tommy took it correctly, and kept on talking, “Earlier, we were like- watching Dream. And he was batshit crazy in taunting the dreamon. The weirdest thing was that when he touched the thing, it _burned_!”

“You guys have witnessed literal history,” Fundy’s voice was pulsing with excitement, pleasant surprise oozing from his eyes, “That’s only like, the second recorded case of what we call ‘Sinistralia’. It’s named after the first recorded case’s dreamon, and its cause is the reuse of pain on the victim’s part. Basically, what Dream did was he took the pain that Nightmare brought to the surface and inflicted it upon Nightmare himself. It’s what I like to call the fattest uno reverse card ever pulled.” Tommy couldn’t help himself; despite how dire the situation was, he burst out laughing. Sapnap’s face contorted into something resembling amusement, and George muffled his laugher behind his hand. 

“Not going to lie, that is totally like Dream,” Sapnap commented, “He’s always one to just one-up you. “ George hummed in agreement. Tommy pursed his lips.

“The thing is, how long will it take? Normal Dream would’ve killed the thing already, but this Dream is, in his own words and not mine, mental. Dream’s hellbent on vengeance and if you-” Tommy waved a hand vaguely at Sam, Sapnap, and George, “-remember, he was pretty content on torturing Nightmare further at the cost of his own mental health, not like his mental health was great before that, but uhm-”

“Yeah, we get it, Dream needs help and fast,” Tubbo spoke, drumming his fingers on his thighs nervously as he contemplated their choices. On one hand, they could wait for it to all pan out and then get Dream out, but that’d really ruin his mind. On the other, they could try and convince him to just end Nightmare early, but he could just be stubborn. Dream was known for his utter willpower to carry things out exactly as he wanted them to be like. Lastly, they could try and force his hand, but that’d make him have a bad impression of all of them, loopy as he was. Tubbo groaned. Tommy sighed and nodded.

“Same, big man. Same,” the blonde shut his eyes and he slumped on the desk, lamenting the fact that life wasn’t just black and white; it was the whole damn rainbow. Well, to everyone but George.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was pumped up with energy so i decided to burn it by writing so here comes this


	3. Act I; Scene III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again

Dream was sitting up on the bed, just watching the dreamon with a monotonous expression on his face, not unlike the one that Techno usually had pasted on. A frown briefly flashed on his face as he thought about his old friends, but it disappeared just as quickly, dissolving into the cracks of insanity the prison had opened. Dream laughed gleefully as he watched Nightmare flinch away from his gaze, trying to making himself smaller. _Oh, how the tables have turned._ Dream was just watching his old tormentor, not noticing the lack of hissing as four figures approached, until they were inside his cell. He turned to look at them before opening his mouth, “Why’re you here again?”

“We never told you but one, we want you to like read this book about rituals of purity and stuff, and two, we want you to kill the dreamon,” Sam said while Dream got a better look a the others. Tubbo, Sam, Tommy, and Fundy were present. Dream shrugged and motioned for the book with one hand.

“So, you’re trying to force my hand in killing that thing?” Dream asked while flipping the pages of the book to reach the bookmarked page. Sam nodded uncomfortably. 

“It’s for your own benefit green bas-” Tommy was cut off by Fundy, who glared at the teen in a silent reminder to ‘shut it’. Dream rolled his eyes as he skimmed the pages again before landing upon another. 

“I mean, the thing is, my mind is already pretty far gone, I’d say,” Dream said after a moment of reading, “Only reason I’m able to act so sanely is because Nightmare pretty much mastered that skill for me. Free labor.” Dream laughed a bit at his own joke, confirming the worst of what everyone thought but never voiced. Dream hummed a bit as his finger trailed down the page before stopping. He glanced up and said, “Found it.” The group’s eyes widened, and before anyone could stop it- which Dream would probably like to- they crowded around him, peering at the words. They glanced at Dream, who merely sighed in exasperation before reading, “I banish thee, insert name of the foe, to the deepest pits of Earth, where one can desire thee shall never be hath found again. Easy. It’s like three lines.” Tommy nodded, jotting down what Dream said before pausing and opening his mouth. Dream sighed. Even in his poor mental state, he knew that whenever the other blonde opened his mouth, something vulgar or loud was bound to slip out. 

“Repeat that again?” Tommy asked. Dream was pleasantly proven wrong. He nodded and just repeated what he’d already said.

“Okay, you’re done, right?” Dream inquired as Tommy finished writing, throwing the pencil up in the air with a flourish. The blonde teen nodded, smiling lopsidedly. “Alright! Then you can leave, correct?” Dream asked, setting the book aside and clasping his hands together. The four people in front of Dream glanced at each other a bit nervously.

“Not quite,” Tubbo spoke up. Dream tilted his head, an unspoken question hanging above the heads of the five people (and the one dreamon). “You see, we want you to get rid of the dreamon so we can get you out.” Dream rolled his eyes and sighed. 

“Therapy probably won’t woooork,” he sang. Dream had to stifle a laugh at the glances traded between the others once again, most likely wondering what the best course of action was in this situation. “I mean, just because I’m off my rocker doesn’t mean I’m dumb,” Dream giggled, the sound off in the way that it was tinged with complete and utter lunacy. More uncertain glances were traded before a decision seemed to be made and everyone slowly began to back out of the room, and left. Dream sighed, turning to Nightmare. “You know,” Dream began, speaking slowly as if to savor the syllables in his words, “Maybe I should just end you. I want to see you burn, smoke rise from your skin- do you even have skin, by the way? Anyway, I want to see you burn and scream in agony. Oh, the screams will be so sweet.” He sighed dreamily, lost in his fantasy (one that could be reality) of watching Nightmare _suffer._ Nightmare unconsciously shuddered, the action not missed by the psychopath opposite to him. Dream laughed more, basking in the terror that radiated off of the dreamon in droves, like water spilling from a cup that had tipped over. Dream smiled, unmasked face showing his emotions for all to see. He hadn’t seen a point in keeping his mask on, it was just stifling his breathing. “Lucky for me, I did do some reading as a hobby before you came swooping in with that ugly black ass of yours, and the best thing about dreamons is that once they choose a victim- thy can’t leave until they’re dead or you yourself get killed! So, you’re stuck with me, one of the only things that can kill you at this point in time. Isn’t that _glorious_ , Nightmare?” The dreamon swallowed but didn’t nod. Dream tsked. 

“Awh, you scared? Of a human? Imagine what other dreamons would think, Nightmare! You, one of the best- well, according to you- and most experienced dreamons brought low by nothing more than me, an insane admin trapped inside his own prison. Pathetic,” Dream laughed, joyously swinging his legs over the edge of a bed like a child might. Despite the horrid condition of Dream’s cell, he didn’t mind it at all. He adored the feel of obsidian. He loved the darkness that never seemed to go away, illuminated only slightly by lava. And Dream loved the control he had over Nightmare. It was ironic, considering that before Dream got thrown in the cell, Nightmare was the one with ultimate control. Dark humor at its finest.

\----

“Hey Fundy,” Tommy said, approaching the fox boy. The ginger tilted his head, looking at Tommy. “You only said that Dream had to be contained, but could we like, put him in a better-furnished place or something? Because where we’re placing him is inhumane considering he didn’t do any of it.”

“Do what you wanna do, Tommy,” Fundy replied, shrugging, “It matters not, but my opinion is that yeah sure, he can do it. There’s no imminent danger for exposure because dreamons can only have one host at a time.” Tommy beamed.

“Thanks, furry!” Fundy’s protests died on his tongue as he sighed, watching as the blonde ran back to the dark, looming structure that was the prison.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am writing these like there is no tomorrow  
> still no idea  
> still winging it
> 
> smh my head


	4. Act I; Scene IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhh i dont know why but im writing so much im not okay  
> nope this story is not pre-written i post it as soon as i write it and reread it (for now)

Despite the bad vibes the dark prison practically vibrated with, Tommy felt liberated as he tore through the hallway, all the while yelling joyously out to Sam, “We can get Dream out of there!” Sam’s eyebrows raised, no expression being conveyed, but Tommy knew him well enough to know that he was secretly pleased. He smiled, screeching to a halt in front of his friend and bouncing up impatiently. “Well, when do we start?” Tommy asked, excitement surely lighting up the mood of the room. 

“I mean, Tommy, we can start now I guess,” Sam chuckled a bit, leading Tommy to visit Dream, long having memorized the path. “Have you told the rest of the SMP yet, Tommy?” He took one glance back to see Tommy’s guilty expression and sighed, hanging his head and burying it in his hands. “Tommy, go tell them please.” Tommy nodded, recovering his glee, and bounded away, leaving Sam wondering how the hell the teen had seemingly boundless energy. He sighed, awaiting Tommy’s return. 

\----

Tommy ran on pure, unfiltered guilt disguised as cheerfulness. He was selfish, he’d admit; his only reason for wanting Dream out of the prison was so his conscience would be lighter. Tommy sort of hated himself for that, but just knowing that something’s wrong doesn’t immediately make you wired to fix it. Tommy shook his head and sighed, messaging everyone but Sam, Sapnap, George, and Tubbo to meet at the rebuilt community house for a meeting. Fundy was included to back Tommy up with his claim. 

[TommyInnit]: Meet at community house @5 PM. Be there or else Sam Nook will hunt you down.

[awesamdude]: I don’t know when I agreed to that but sure

[Punz]: Oh sure

Tommy hummed as he sat on the floor, waiting for everyone to arrive. People began to trickle in slowly, the trickle eventually evolving into a torrent of newcomers. Tommy stood up and cleared his throat (for dramatic effect, of course) and began to speak. “Well, fellas, I’m sure we all know about Dream, the green bastard, aye?” A chorus of ‘yes’ rose up against the welter of discordant noise, and Tommy nodded decisively. “Well, he may not be as much of a bastard as we think, you know. Uh, so Big S installed some security cameras a while ago, and today when we were just watching the green guy, Gogs, Snapmap, Big S and I saw a dreamon in Dream’s cell. Uhhh, fox boy can confirm,” Tommy said, motioning to Fundy with an exaggerated hand gesture. Fundy nodded, almost imperceptibly, but the others present caught in, eyes widening in sync almost comically. “Oh, also, we’ve gotten express permission from our resident dreamon expert that Dream can be taken to a better place than his cell, so we’ll be doing that!” Tommy bit back a small smile as Punz’s head turned to gaze wide-eyed at Fundy before the man opened his mouth.

“This is true, Fundy?” Punz questioned, almost desperately wondering if it was indeed true and he had betrayed a friend who did nothing wrong. ~~Tommy supposed it was ex-friend by now~~

“Yep to both things Tommy had just announced, and a level five dreamon at that,” Fundy nodded in confirmation to Punz’s question, and then, in another punch to the stomach, added, “he witnessed everything that the dreamon did, in answer to a question you surely have.” Tommy watched as Punz seemed to falter, eyes widening even further as he realized he really did break off an old friendship, and even further than that, helped trap Dream in. The other side of Tommy’s brain, the analytical side, whispered to him that it wasn’t Dream in control, but the dreamon. He shut it off with the fact that Dream still bore witness. _Yet, he also was there in spirit, watching as the dreamon tormented you, no?_ Tommy shook his head, trying to school his face into a smile while his thoughts battled on bitterly. He excused himself and took a breather outside, attempting to clear away the thoughts that continued reasoning and contradicting. He didn’t need to apparently, because a moment later Fundy appeared, settling himself next to Tommy with a small sigh of exhaustion. Tommy glanced at the ginger sympathetically. 

“Sorry, Big F,” Tommy muttered. Fundy huffed a bit but smiled nonetheless, gazing up at the sky. It was already dark. Tommy’s tasks hit him, and he made his way up to stand, muttering sorry to Fundy as he extracted his netherite sword from its sheath, reminding himself to return Dream’s armor and tools to the man. _For now_ , the sinister, more paranoid part of his brain whispered, _he’ll prove you wrong again, just like he always has._ Tommy snorted to himself as he ran toward the structure, now illuminated by torches. He smiled as he entered, running along paved paths to find Sam, announcing that they could extract Dream.

“I mean, Tommy, it is like what, nine right now? You took a long time in there, y’know,” Sam sighed, shaking his head, “Don’t get me wrong, I want Dream out of that hellhole just as much as you, but best wait until tomorrow, no?” Tommy sighed, internally cursing the fact that the creeper hybrid was smart. He shook his head, letting out an exasperated breath in acknowledgment.

“Sure, Big S, but rest assured, I’ll be waking you up at 5 AM sharp,” Tommy said, expression perfectly straight. Sam just laughed, not believing the blond teen, and just ruffled Tommy’s hair with an endearing smile.

“Sure you will Tommy. Sure you will,” Sam said, smiling as they parted ways. 

\----

[TommyInnit] to [awesamdude]

[TommyInnit]: RISE AND SHINE @awesamdude

[awesamdude]: the fuckvk? Tommy whaaaaat

[TommyInnit]: ITS 5 AM

[awesamdude]: fuck i thought you were joking when you said that goddamn it how stupid i was

[TommyInnit]: agreed, you were stupid and nah no way i wouldnt keep my promise

[awesamdude]: ugh fine i already scouted out a location for his house and built a bit of it

[Tommy]: Big S, youre the best. Im coming over 

[awesamdude]: fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still am really clueless where im taking this, just know that im really tired of sad endings ;c


	5. Act I; Scene V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again

Tommy arrived at the looming prison with building materials in his inventory, waiting for Sam impatiently. Soon enough, the creeper hybrid appeared, yawning and clutching wood in his hand. 

“C’mon Sam Nook!” Tommy cheered, “Lead the way!” Sam just shook his head with an exasperated but fond smile and began to walk Tommy south, to where he knew the plot of land with the half-finished house awaited. 

“Follow me then Tommy. We’ve got a home to build.”

\----

“Hey, Sam?” Tommy asked quietly, nerves building the closer the pair got to the prison. Sam looked at him, concerned as Tommy didn’t usually speak, you know, _quietly_ at all. 

“Yeah, Tommy?” the creeper hybrid asked, gaze returning back to the structure that was slowly getting larger as their perspective changed the closer they headed. 

“Um, do you think Dream will willingly go?” Tommy asked a bit weirdly, not meeting Sam’s gaze as the creeper hybrid paused walking and thought carefully, eyes looking but not quite seeing what was in front of him.

“I mean- he should, right? All of this is in his benefit, and anyone in their right mind would definitely take the deal. It’s a total upgrade,” Sam reasoned. Tommy just shook his head as he waited for Sam to resume walking.

“Yeah, but Dream isn’t in his right mind,” the words ‘he might never be’ hung drearily overhead, but was never mouthed by either person. Sam closed his eyes and hummed a bit in agreement. 

“I mean, we should still do it, for our own conscience if not for him, right?” Sam asked. Tommy smiled a tad bit anxiously. 

“Yeah sure,” Tommy sighed, “Let’s just fish Big D out of there and then leave him on like house arrest with the dreamon fella.” Sam just nodded as they stopped at the entrance to the prison and entered. “Sam, what’ll we do if Dream refuses?” Tommy asked as they stepped into the dark building. 

“I mean, I’ve got propofol, but one dose will last about ten minutes give or take so I’ll have to use more,” Sam mused, not quite for Tommy’s ears. 

“Propofol?” Tommy inquired, never having heard of the drug despite his joking of him loving drugs.

“Just makes you go to sleep,” Sam said, seeming to have reached a decision, “I was lucky to have chosen that plot of land to be like around fifteen minutes away, just in case we had to you know, lock him up again.” Tommy bristled slightly, but logic calmed him down. 

“Alright, let’s just hope we won’t have to use that prop drug thing, and we won’t have to lock Big D up again,” Tommy and Sam walked side by side to reach Dream’s cell, entering to see Dream poking Nightmare and laughing at the dreamon’s muffled screeches. Tommy felt like he wanted to retch at the sight of Dream’s eyes, filled with cynical amusement at the dreamon’s pain, but pushed on.

“Okay, Big D,” Tommy began, mind telling him to run far, far away from the sharp gaze Dream bestowed upon him despite how the prison should’ve worn down on anybody’s alertness, “We’re here to get you out of the prison.” Dream just scoffed.

“This is just another one of your games, probably payback to get me back for something I never did,” Dream laughed, the usually happy sound now possessing a disquieting undertone that sent cold shivers running down Tommy’s spine, “And besides, I actually like it here, so you can just shoo.”

“Dream, think about us too,” Sam snapped, growing frustrated at the prisoner, “Most of our morals don’t include leaving people inside uh cages like these when they’re innocent.”

“Okay, so I’m expected to put aside my own preferences to satisfy your stupid morals?” Dream smiled eerily, “Sorry, but no thank you. I’m not dancing to your tune. On that note, I’m not dancing to anyone’s tune anymore. Yeah, no thanks.” Dream tilted his head, chuckling under his breath as Tommy watched Sam’s breathing become deeper. Dream really had struck a nerve in Tommy’s friend. Tommy just watched, paralyzed as Sam withdrew a syringe and jabbed it carelessly into Dream, the latter letting out a maniacal laugh at Sam’s obvious frustration before relaxing slightly, face smoothing out. Sam bit his lip and picked up Dream, tilting his head in a motion for Tommy to follow him, which the blonde did without complaint, Tommy’s mind in an ambivalent state. Tommy shuddered at the actions of the other blonde, and the actions of his friend as well. 

\----

Dream woke slowly. He had no idea where he was, just that he wasn’t in his base ( ~~of course he wasn’t, it was so far away~~ nor the cell he’d come to somewhat regarding as home. He sighed, rubbing his head as he looked at the chained door, and the locked windows. Dream contemplated if he should try breaking out, not for freedom, but just for the sake of it. Besides, if he escaped, they’d return him back to the prison, no? He decided to just go for it. Either way, it wouldn’t affect him, and he’d get to breathe fresh air again! ~~Ignoring the fact that it would probably feel like a sword being stabbed through his nose as he hadn’t smelled fresh air in a long, long time.~~ That is if Dream could still rely on lockpicking. He was rusty, sure, but it was worth a shot, right? Fashioning a small stick, he went to the lock preventing the door from opening inward and tried picking it. He smiled victoriously as he realized that this was a lock design he knew almost by heart, having learned it as one of the first in his hobby. Not long passed before he was able to unlock the lock, walking outside and stretching as he took shallow breaths as to not irritate his nose or throat. Just standing there, contemplating whether or not to just run. Dream, being the perfectly decisive person he was, stepped one step out into the wilderness and promptly turned back and entered the house. Like I said, perfectly decisive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comedy is just my comfort thing (and angst too but sh)


	6. Act I; Scene VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not me writing this while watching sapnap's stream

Tommy warily eyed the open door to Dream’s new ‘home’, wondering if the speedrunner had already escaped. He didn’t know what he and Sam were really thinking; of course, the man who beat four hunters could easily lockpick the door. To him, it was probably child’s play. Tommy just shook his head, mentally running over a draft of what to tell the others when they inevitably found out that Dream was missing. So, to his utter shock, he found Dream just sitting on a chair, watching Nightmare with an almost bored expression, raising his eyebrow at Tommy’s unannounced entrance. “Oh, you’re still here-” Tommy started, brain malfunctioning. He had seen the open door and thought the worst, but instead, all he saw was Dream just staring at Nightmare’s hunched-over figure with a small satisfied smile. 

“Yeah, what of it?” Dream asked, and Tommy tried to ignore the glaring absence of the wheezing laugh that usually accompanied a statement of that sort from Dream. 

“Just shocked. I thought you’d like, leave,” Tommy mumbled to Dream’s amusement.

“I’m so obstinate, no?” Dream drawled, sarcasm so obvious it didn’t even escape _Tommy’s_ notice, and he was usually one of the people that you could get most anything by without him even batting an eyelash.

“Mm, sure. Anyway, the real reason I’m here is to say that the purification spell did work, ‘cause like Tubbo and the others tried it out, but it was only like-” Tommy waved his hands around in a vague gesture of a circle, “-a small radius, you know what I mean?” Dream sighed, already catching on to what Tommy was getting at.

“Just, just fork over the book, I’ll see what I can find,” Dream sighed, annoyance creasing his face and cementing further Tommy’s already growing suspicions that this Dream was not the Dream they used to know, and perhaps he never would be again. 

“Sure, sure,” Tommy said, opening his inventory screen and tugging out the book, handing it over to Dream, who flipped it open and once again began skimming through the pages. Tommy just sighed and sat on the floor. This would take a while yet.

\----

Dream skimmed the book, humming a song from back when Puffy used to sing him to sleep. He somewhat expected a pang of sadness at what he’d lost at the very least, but he was sorely mistaken as he felt nothing at all. He paused in his skimming of the book, making Tommy look up at him curiously, but Dream flicked his hand and Tommy looked away once again. The blonde flipped through the book more, falling into his routine once more. 

\----

“Found it, Tommy,” Dream’s voice was tinged with boredom, emerald eyes that were once filled with happiness now dull and monotonous. The blue-eyed blonde looked up, smiling and bounding up to grasp the book, glancing at the page before getting out a sheet of paper and miming talking. Dream rolled his eyes but complied easily. Tommy just smiled, and as expected, left the house after getting what he wanted. Just like everything else in life, they stay for what they want and leave after achieving it.

\----

Tommy exited the house with a skip in his step, humming the tune that Dream had when reading as he headed back to L’Manberg, the slip of paper containing the information on how to banish the egg stowed safely away in his inventory. He went right up to Sam, thrusting the paper into Sam’s hands and not seeing the look Puffy tossed him, one of shock and disbelief and nostalgia. And as he sat on the sidelines, watching as the red receded, bit by bit, he realized that he felt free. Now that he thought about it, he had never truly felt free. One way or another, there was always either an expectation or a looming threat. Yet now, He was actually free. Free from the burden of knowing he’d imprisoned someone innocent, and free from the threat of the Egg (even if it was only for a bit). Tommy reveled in it. ~~He wondered if Dream felt the same way. He suspected not.~~

\----

Dream wandered outside, just watching the fauna bustle about in their daily lives. He didn’t know why, but he gravitated to a parrot, a red, blue, and yellow one. He just stared at it for a bit, eyes widening slightly in surprise as it noticed him, and instead of flying away, it actually came closer, close enough for Dream to pet it. He didn’t know what overcame him at that moment, but he just felt like he wanted to speak. Dream wasn’t ever one to ignore his gut, so he let it out.   
All of it, every single bit.  
Once he started on one of his monologues, he didn’t stop until prompted, or until he let out all of his steam.  
“I don’t know, I feel so conflicted. I know I should be sad, but I can’t bring myself to be sad, or care for that matter,” Dream sighed ~~not noticing the warm tears that rolled down his cheeks~~ , stopping his stroking to the parrot’s anger, which it showed by angrily pecking his arm, “Like, why is this so fucking complicated? I _should_ be happy for getting out like I didn’t even do all the manipulation and blowing shit up crap! But I do guess I’m really fucked up, why’d I enjoy Nightmare’s pain? Like I know he hurt me and all, but I don’t think the torture thing is like me at all, but at the same time, it is now. Ughhh, why is life so stupid? I know it’s stupid but I sorta want to be like you. You’re so free. You can literally fly away whenever, both literally and not that it really applies, metaphorically too. I wonder if you’d want to be human?” He watched as the bird flew away, becoming no more than a speck of dust in the distance, and just sighed, propping himself up and dusting himself down. “What was I thinking? Talking to an avian like that. What does that even achieve?” Dream exhaled deeply, heading back to the cottage, acting like everything was fine. (Spoiler: It wasn’t ~~and it never was.~~ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tyty for reading


	7. Act II; Scene I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after i finish, ill probably edit the "Act _; Scene _" part of it to make it more even lmfao

Sapnap stared blankly at the sky, lost in thought. He’d been avoiding thinking about his ex-best friend. ~~Ex, because he wasn’t sure Dream would even take him back as a friend.~~ Tommy had stopped by earlier just to tell them that he and Sam had extracted Dream from the prison. ~~Sapnap pretended to ignore the bit about the drug they had to use to make him sleep. It was so unlike Dream to not take advantage of things that would benefit him.~~ Wind blew past him, cold and unforgiving. It lashed at him mercilessly, whipping his hair onto his face harshly but he didn’t think about it. _You caused your old best friend to rot in a cell. **You didn’t know!** I should’ve. **You had a gut instinct that something was wrong!** What use is a gut instinct when you don’t act upon it? I should’ve done more, I should’ve known something was wrong. What kind of a friend am I? Dream helped me so many times when I was younger. I couldn’t even tell anything was up with him._ Sapnap sighed and ran a hand through his hair, childishly wishing that he could turn back time, hop back to when he looked forward to every day because he knew something joyous would be produced from it. Now though, every day he woke up to the crazed light in Dream’s eyes, the laughter that he produced at Nightmare’s pain. He clenched his hands, stepping closer to the edge of the cliff, sitting on it and just looking at the land. If he squinted enough, he could make out the outline of the village that he and Dream had come from. If he looked to the left, he could find the woods where Dream and he had built a treehouse on the tallest oak, nestled right in the middle with branches flowing easily around it. He wondered if it had rotted. ~~It probably had.~~ Looking to the right, he saw the place Dream had first made him meet George. He remembered how much of a tsundere George had been, and still was. Sapnap didn’t know if Dream would forgive him. He didn’t know if he could separate Dream, the real one, from the tyrant wearing his friend’s face. He mourned for the days where they were desperate to grow up and escape the village to find adventure. If only his young self could see him now, wishing to once again be youthful again, no worries present except for the next snowstorm. When he’d had so much time to think, and he tried to do anything but. Now, he had too little time to think, and a much stronger urge to do exactly that. 

“Sapnap?”

\----

George had always tried to hide his emotions. He wasn’t like Dream who wore his mask yet also wore his heart on his sleeve. He wasn’t like Sapnap, living his emotions and burning through them with a vicarious inferno. No, George hid his affection behind layers of barbed words with no true malicious intent behind them. That was his love language. And he wondered. Wondered if the words he spat at Dream in prison before he knew about Nightmare were him truly meaning it. For, even after all the things Dream- no, the dreamon had done- George still didn’t know if things could go back to the way they were before. He hoped, but hope is merely a fragment of your imagination, meant to lead you onto darker and darker paths with the prospect that things could get better. The thing is, it didn’t always get better. There were situations where you hit rock bottom, with no way to pull yourself back up again. And George pondered if they really had hit rock bottom, Sapnap, Dream, and he. Rock bottom with no escape, no way to pull yourself to your feet again. He wondered and pondered and wondered some more. And George found that he really wasn’t sure. There would’ve been a time where he would’ve said that they could’ve just helped each other up. Now, he reflected bitterly upon the rose-tinted glasses they had worn to view life. He remembered when Dream had given him the clout goggles he was practically known for after George had complained that the sun was too bright in his eyes. Now, he reached up and pulled them off and set them to the side, a memento of when everything was better, murmuring to someone, anyone, maybe himself, “The world isn’t so bright after all.” George collected himself and walked off, white-rimmed glasses left in a silent reminder of the things George had lost, and the things that he might never get back.

\----

Dream held his mask in his hands gingerly. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or punch a wall. He didn’t know how to describe the feeling he felt now. He found himself longing for touch, but also hating touch. He wanted to be loved, but couldn’t love himself. Dream had worked hard for the relations he had built, the ones that he had technically ripped apart. Through all of his thoughts, he found himself circling back to two figures, someone he’d known all his life, with bright orange eyes and a tendency to commit arson, and a short brunette with an accent and a preference towards the color blue who pretended to hate you. He thought about the times where he and Sapnap built the treehouse, unimpeded by the sun beating down upon them as they reaped the rewards of countless hours of hard work. He knew that the treehouse would be one of his favorite memories with Sapnap, just as he knew that the time when he gave the clout goggles to George on a whim would end up later be one of his happiest moments with the brunette. ~~He pretended to not think about the lack of the goggles when George had visited. He pretended to not notice the covering of the scar that Sapnap had gotten after falling from the treehouse.~~ Dream wondered if he truly was salvageable. He wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t, no matter how much he wished that he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dunno, visiting chap tomorrow?
> 
> the clout goggles headcanon is from a twitter comic, if you know it please link it so I can include it
> 
> got it! ty user kq11_225778118 :D
> 
> https://twitter.com/mikadespacito/status/1360737872144400387?s=19
> 
> check it out <3


	8. Act II; Scene II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> most of this fic will probably be everyone needing a decent therapist but not having one

“Sapnap?” Sapnap leaped up and swiveled to peer at the new arrival in the same smooth movement. 

“Oh- yeah?” Sapnap asked, seeing George, “Why are you looking at me like that?” George was speechless, coughing in disbelief.

“I mean, you were literally sitting on the edge of a cliff-?” George said, more of a statement than a question. Sapnap looked behind him and then looked back to George, chuckling nervously.

“Um, I assure you it isn’t what it seems Gogy,” Sapnap told his friend, slowly sidling away from the edge. George just shook his head, disbelieving but allowed Sapnap to come closer anyway.

“Mhm,” the brunette said, sarcasm rolling off of his tone in waves, “Sure. Anyway, wanna come with me to visit Dream? I kinda want to see how he is, with all the um- prison things absolved. Also, I kinda wanted to show you both something, just for old times’ sake.” Sapnap had to stop himself from snorting. Dream was still technically being kept in a cage, just a more gilded one, and he wasn’t sure if Dream would even want to trail along. 

“Sure, sure,” Sapnap sighed, walking closer to George and sighing in relief that the sticky situation was over, “Lead the way, goggles. Lead the way.”

\----

Dream looked at his hand, raising it to the light and spreading his five fingers apart. He wondered if today would be the same as usual, him waking up sometimes with more texts to decipher for the others, then going out to the forest to climb a tree, sometimes just to think, and other times to get back into the feel of parkour ~~ignoring the nostalgic tinge it brought with him, reminding him of the scents of ash, soot, and vanilla, because he couldn’t **trust them**~~ **, and then return to poke at Nightmare some more. The dreamon had been uncharacteristically quiet, and the darker part of Dream reveled in how easily the dreamon broke to its own form of torture. That side of Dream, the more sadistic side that was barely there in manhunts but still made Dream seem like a psychopath, made the other side (the kinder, more forgiving side) of Dream utterly revolted. Dream just shook his head as he climbed the tree, one right on the edge of the path leading up to his accommodation. Today was a thinking day apparently, as well as a normal day. Dream gazed ~~but did he really look?~~ up at the leaves, watching as the light filtered through ~~savoring in how it fended off the darkness in his head as he couldn’t by himself~~ , eyeing the birds that flew about the forest in all their colorful glory ~~wishing that he could do the same~~ , and listening to the sloshing tune of water flowing in a riverbed not so far away ~~wondering if he would be able to disappear into it one dayif that one part of him who longed to go back to the prison they felt was home would shut up~~.**

**\----**

George was scared of what he’d see. Maybe an angry Dream. Maybe someone who was utterly fed up with life. Maybe a psychopath who went insane ~~he hoped not~~. Maybe someone who hated them. He did not expect to see the strangely domestic sight of Dream resting up in a tree, balancing upon it like it was second nature to him ~~he tried to avoid thinking about how he’d expected Dream to be sickeningly thin, because that thought reminded him of his failure~~. By Sapnap’s wistful look, it probably was. Then, he did a double-take. Dream was supposed to be in the home that had been made for him, not in the forest nearby. George guessed that he shouldn’t have expected more, because after all, Dream was not one to be known to be kept in a cage ~~yet he was, in that cold, dark, and dreary cell which George tried to avoid thinking about how Dream said it was _home_~~. He watched, not lifting a finger to stop Sapnap as the orange-eyed boy went up and rapped sharply on the trunk of the tree, waiting for Dream to react. He did not disappoint. His eyes opened, emerald green suddenly boring into the pair with an unflinching sharpness. “What is it?” Dream snapped, seeming a bit irritated, but if they just dove a little bit deeper, and you’d find poorly hidden exhaustion. The duo knew this. They knew Dream as a whole, every nervous tic, every pet peeve. ~~At least, they thought they did. Did they really know the man who had been their best friend for a decade and a half?~~ They hoped so, for their sake if not Dream’s. 

“Uhm, firstly we wanted to see how you were doing-” George started anxiously, immediately answered by the man perched up in the trees. 

“Fine,” Dream said, shutting his eyes and once again melting into the tree branches, loathing the wait for the next question. 

“Secondly, we wanted you to trust us because I’ve got something to show you two,” George finished. Apprehension filled the air in a gentle alliance with silence. 

“Trust?” Dream breathed incredulously, “ _Trust?_ ” The two underneath the tree exchanged nervous looks. Dream laughed, suddenly moving and hopping off of the branches with a clap of his hands, “Who are you to talk of trust? I trusted you to notice something amiss. Well, I was sorely disappointed. You’d think after so many years of knowing you two, you could’ve noticed. Yeah no, trust went sayonara.” George and Sapnap both flinched slightly at that. 

“I-” Sapnap was cut off by Dream placing a finger over his mouth. When had Dream come so close? 

“Rome may have burned in a day, but it took much, much longer than that to build,” Dream smiled, but the smile was tinged with sadness and mourning, “Just like trust. Think about that for me, won’t you?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> screeeeeeech


	9. Act II; Scene III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just take this

Dream knew something was wrong. He wasn’t dumb. He felt it down to the very bones, his very core. Something wasn’t right. A voice kept whispering in his ear, and it wasn’t at all like Nightmare’s. No, it was sickeningly sweet, whispering sweet words and trying to persuade him to fall deeper into its web. Dream wondered if he should follow it. He kept quiet though, not knowing if and what could be done to help him. It wasn’t like they’d care, with him being all cold and prickly, right? They wouldn’t care at all. Maybe they would, but Dream wouldn’t trust them to do that. 

\----

_”Hey, Fundy?” the fox hybrid’s gaze shifted to Tubbo as they read quietly._

_“Yeah?” he probed after the brunette didn’t immediately start speaking again._

_“It says right here on page one hundred sixty-nine that when dreamons are close to death, in a last-ditch effort, they do something where they try to win over the uh, host again? It doesn’t mention anything more detailed than that though Fundy,” Tubbo responded after a moment, poring over the last line on the page. Fundy smiled._

_“Yeah, actually I worked on that case, no idea why it’s pretty vague, but anyhow, the dreamon t r i e s…”_

\----

_“------! Wait up!” he called at the boy. They whipped around, a smile lighting up their face at the sight of the boy with an obsession with green._

_“Clingy much, Dre?” they teased, laughing at Dream’s half-hearted mutters of protest, “You know it’s true, don’t deny it!”_

_“Awh, you’re so mean!” Dream- no, younger Dream laughed lightly, **freely**. _

_“C’mon, nerd! I’ve got something to show you! I found it the other day!” and Dream let himself be led away by someone who he trusted without another thought. Someone whose relationship he’d forget later on. Yet, younger Dream didn’t know that. He still thought life was absolutely wonderful, perhaps how king Minos must’ve felt at first when he obtained the Golden Touch before he realized that he couldn’t eat, couldn’t even hug his daughter (unless a statue counted as one, anyhow). If only Dream could wash away his problems as easily as Minos had the Golden Touch ~~but he’d gotten help, guidance, right?~~. If only._

\----

Dream still didn’t know what this voice inside his head was. It gave off the impression that Dream should trust him, and every instinct in his messed up mind said yes, to take this decidedly uncalculated risk and see where it took him. He shrugged mentally and wondered what more could be done. He was already pushing others away, that was his fault, not theirs. He didn’t know when he became poetic. When he started twisting words and feelings. He didn’t know much about anything these days actually. Dream ignored how powerless it made him feel. _Power corrupts. It does not help at all ~~what if it does?~~. Look where power got yo- Nightmare. Locked in a cell, loneliness burning into your psyche ~~you were always such a social person, after all. Wonder where that went?~~. Tell me, does power help?_

And Dream believed it. Letting the honeyed words and snide whispers filter in, close but not too close. It wasn’t there ~~yet~~. Dream hadn’t let anyone in for a while now. Days blurred into weeks as visits didn’t evoke reactions into him anymore ~~did they ever, though?~~. To the outside eye, and perhaps the inside as well, Dream was faring no better than he was in the prison. He wasn’t sure when he lost that sense of feeling, not reacting to anything. It scared him, Dream would admit. The only thing that evoked something out of him was the pain. He’d found out by accident, really. It started when he jammed his thigh accidentally into a splinter on the side of the house, watching as the pale wound turned rosy slowly after he carelessly yanked out the wood and was absolutely shocked by the emotion he felt. It was sharp, seeping into him. He loved it. It had been so long since he’d felt anything besides the cool, soothing comfort of the voice in his head and the white noise that filled his head like silt being disrupted when the voice wasn’t talking to him. Somewhere in Dream’s jumbled brain, he knew it was unnatural. That instead of helping, it was slowly tossing things out of order, one by one by one. Dream didn’t care, why would he now? It provided comfort, that was all that mattered. right?.

\----

He started to understand that it wasn’t right when Techno began swinging by. He’d thought nothing of the pinkette’s visit the first time, only thought present in his pain addicted head being that Techno was disrupting the regimen he’d so lovingly crafted from scratch like how the Minoans had demanded yearly sacrifices from Athens when the city was a mere dot of what it’d become later on. That was how Techno found him, in the small bathroom in his cottage with blood seeping from the wounds on his arms and a blissful look loosely present on Dream’s face. And despite the voices in Techno’s head, he helped patch the blonde up, horror filling him as he saw the patches of discolored skin he knew were scars dotting, no, more like lining, most of Dream’s arms. 

~~Techno tried not to blanch as he went back to the bathroom and noticed smaller things.~~

~~The specks of blood quietly blending into the corners, inconspicuous to anyone who wasn’t searching for them.~~

~~The paper lying face-down that was sure to have blood seeping into it if Techno flipped the sheets over, no doubt belonging to the person lying unconscious in the next room over.~~

~~The knife, still dripping with Dream’s lifeblood as a reminder of the blonde’s previous activities.~~

So Techno knew that Dream needed help. A lot of it. And Techno? He was determined to provide it, ~~for the sake of someone who regrettably did not know of their old bond before everything else roared to life suddenly.~~ Oh how he wished Dream would recognize him. Maybe miracles do come true. Most times they don’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my rivalstwt fascination shines through in this chapter


	10. [Notice]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Notice :)

Alrighty! So, I've not updated this in like five years or something, and I'm tired of thinking about it and having guilt haunt me like a goddamn ghost or something!

Anyway, the point of this is that I will be kinda discontinuing this, but not really because it's going to go under a rewrite! I've got no idea when I'll start, but I'm not happy with this, so yeah. The schedule for the rewrite is going to be planned whenever I've got enough motivation so yeah.

Thanks for sticking around anyway, and if you were expecting a chapter, sorry to disappoint-

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea where im taking this im just winging it lmfao


End file.
